A/N: Artemis – the goddess of children, virginity, hunting, and the moon. You all probably already knew that though!

But what I recently discovered was that Artemis's name translates to "high source of water" (ie the moon has control over the oceans/seas), which is incredibly cool because Nate River, and last chapter's mention of tides. However, I had no idea how to work that into this chapter, so there you have it. Yay, trivia.

Disclaimer: This is just a fan fic.

Play

Nate River could entertain himself with as many toy trucks and action figures as he pleased, but the fact remained that he was and never had been a real little boy.

Little boys cried when they were sad. Little boys sported bloody noses and threw tantrums and teased girls and knew nothing of the world except for its games and amusements. Little boys had guardians who grounded them when they were naughty and rewarded them with candy when they were good.

Near arrived at Wammy's when he was three, and learned how the solar system worked within a month. At eight, he took in the subjects of drugs and rape and terrorism without even batting an eye. At ten, he solved cold cases for fun while children his age had to beg their parents for twenty minutes on dial-up Internet. Near was never naughty, but his cold and brilliant mind, absorbing the corruptions of the world, had long lost its innocence.

Innocence had always been a bizarre concept to Near. On one hand, it meant naivety, and on the other, it meant guiltlessness from any wrongdoing. For some reason, people also loved to equate it with sexual inexperience, with silly notions of chastity. Therefore, to some people, Near still appeared to be a little boy.

But in truth, he had grown up faster than them all.

Near could dress himself with as much white as he pleased, but the fact remained that he was neither completely innocent nor pure. He had blood on his hands, probably just as much as Mello did.

Near was a natural hunter, and he would be lying if he said he did not enjoy the game.

The truth was his white stag, and Near pursued it like a dog. Light Yagami had been the prey that nobody but Near could catch. The hunt made Near feel alive when there was so much death around him. It made him feel powerful, even invincible; the only pure Near knew was the adrenaline rush that accompanied his successes.

But as always, when the hunt came to an end, Near was left with corpses he did not want. He was in it for the chase, not the prize. Without cases to solve, he would have nothing to live for. The new L would have no reason to exist.

Near could surround himself with as many people – colleagues – as he pleased, but the fact remained that he was lonely. Commander Rester and Lidner and Gevanni were on his payroll, and now that Kira was defeated, the SPK would be formally disbanded on Near's own terms. Mello, his only voluntary visitor, was gone.

Near had nobody else he could call a friend.

Everyone had gravitated around Mello like he was the sun, instinctively drawn by his relentless energy. People actually liked Mello. They feared him, yes, but they also admired his grace and charm. Mello had been every bit the dashing rogue, and Near was just a pale reflection of that, profiting from the path that his rival had blazed for him quite literally.

The sun had disappeared, and the moon could not shine properly without the sun. And like the moon, Near was anchored and given purpose by things bigger than himself.

Yet, L was always meant to play in the shadows. So perhaps it was a good thing Near preferred the dark.

L, do you know Shinigami love apples?

The sun-god peered over the FBI agent's shoulder to read the acrostic poem properly. The mortal named Stephen Gevanni was shredding all of the evidence pertaining to the Kira investigation, all the while grumbling to himself, clearly unhappy with being assigned the grunt work.

So, Shinigami loved apples. The coded message had obviously been designed to fray L's nerves, but the ingenuity of it lay in its truthfulness.

Eris's hint had led Apollo to search every crook and cranny of Near's squeaky clean headquarters, but he had found nothing. If the god had to take one last shot, he would place his bet on the Shinigami, Ryuk.

It had started with the Shinigami, and it would end with the Shinigami.

Because Shinigami loved apples.

A/N: Short chapter because Near is all about simplicity. The next one will be the final chapter before the epilogue, and it'll feature none other than Aphrodite and Misa! I'll try my hand at some open interaction, like the Ares vs Light chapter.

Thanks for reading!